Bulldog Captain Czarnowczan A National Finalist For Senior CLASS Award

Big Rapids, Mich. - After an impressive weekend sweep over Alaska Anchorage, the Ferris State University men's ice hockey team has climbed back to fourth in the nation this week in both of college hockey's major national polls.

The Bulldogs, who were previously fifth a week ago in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll along with sixth in the United States College Hockey Online (USCHO) rankings, moved up to fourth after posting back-to-back home wins over the third place Seawolves inside the Ewigeleben Ice Arena.

The two wins also helped Ferris State reclaim sole possession of first place in the league standings and FSU now owns a four-point edge over second-place Minnesota State. Both teams have four games remaining in the regular season.

Ferris State's current 23-7-3 overall record represents the second-most wins in the nation behind Boston College's 25 victories to date. This week marks the 13th consecutive week in which FSU has been ranked among the nation's top 10 teams.

The Bulldogs have been ranked as high as second in the nation three times this season and currently found among the nation's top 20 teams in the USCHO poll for 16 consecutive weeks. Ferris State was ranked for 37-straight weeks dating between the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons at one stretch and was ranked first in the nation during the memorable 2011-12 season.

The number two national ranking this year represented the Bulldogs' highest placing in the poll since finishing second overall in the final 2011-12 USCHO.com Division I poll announced after FSU's historic appearance in the national championship game at the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four.

This week, the top four teams in both rankings were all among the final four participants in the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago. Boston College holds down the top spot in both polls with Minnesota State second and Union third.

The same four teams also rank at the top of the Pairwise and RPI rankings, which help determine the NCAA Tournament field at the end of the season. FSU and Union are both tied for third behind top-ranked BC and Minnesota in the current Pairwise system.

The USCHO.com Poll consists of 50 voters, including 28 coaches from the Division I conferences and 22 beat writers and sports professionals from across the country. The poll, published weekly by the Associated Press, is a production of USCHO.com, which provides in-depth coverage of college hockey.

Meanwhile, the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll is conducted in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA). The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey.

This weekend, the Bulldogs will play their final regular-season road series as they travel to Fairbanks, Alaska, to face the Alaska Nanooks on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28-March 1. Both games are scheduled for 11:07 p.m. (ET) starts.

Following this week's trip to Alaska, FSU will then return home to host Lake Superior State in its final two regular-season outings on March 7-8 during "Senior Weekend" in Big Rapids with a special "Buy One, Get One Free" promotional offer available while supplies last.

Additionally, FSU has already clinched home ice for the opening round of the WCHA Playoffs. Ferris State will host an opponent to be determined in a best-of-three series set for March 14-16 with the winner advancing to the WCHA Final Five Championship on March 21-22 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.

Tickets for both the final regular-season series along with the first round of the WCHA Playoffs are currently on sale now and can be purchased thru the FSU Athletics Ticket Office, online at StarTickets.com or by calling 1-800-585-3737. For additional information, please visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com or call 231-591-2888.

Big Rapids, Mich. - For the third consecutive year, the Ferris State University men's ice hockey program has one of the nation's top 10 finalists for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award as Bulldog captain Scott Czarnowczan (Macomb, Mich.) has been announced as one of this year's honorees.

The award honors men's ice hockey student-athletes who excel both on and off the ice. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.

Previously, Czarnowczan, a senior defenseman, was among the 20 national candidates for the award following the nomination process and has advanced to the final ballot of 10 finalists.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 20 candidates announced in November. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Senior CLASS Award website through March 31. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I head coaches' votes to determine the winner.

The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2014 NCAA Frozen Four® in April.

This year marks the third consecutive year in which the Bulldogs have had one of the 10 national finalists for the prestigous award as former Bulldog All-America defenseman Chad Billins was chosen as one of the 10 national finalists for the Senior CLASS Award in 2011-12 and last year's team captain, Kyle Bonis, was an award finalist a year ago.

Ferris State's Czarnowczan is the only one of the 10 finalists from either a WCHA member school or a an institution located in the state of Michigan. Along with Czarnowczan, this year's finalists include Sam Brittain (Denver), Cole Ikkala (Union), Greg Carey (St. Lawrence), Andy Iles (Cornell), Dennis Robertson (Brown), Kyle Gibbons (Canisius), Ryan Walters (Nebraska-Omaha), Brock Higgs (RPI) and Matt Zarbo (Clarkston).

This season, Czarnowczan is the 43rd individual in the program's history to sport the captain's 'C' on his Bulldog jersey. His 18 total points to date this season currently ranks among the league's top figures for a defensemen and he also owns a team-leading +16 plus/minus efficiency rating on the ice. Czarnowczan has four goals and 14 assists with a pair of power-play goals and a game-winner. He's also totaled 43 blocks on the year.

As an assistant captain a year ago, Czarnowczan played in only 22 games while battling injuries. He finished with five points and was a co-recipient of the FSU Blueline Club's Competitive Award.

In 2011-12, the Macomb natived helped lead the Bulldogs to the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) regular-season title and the NCAA Frozen Four in his sophomore season. He placed seventh on the team with 21 points, which included two goals and 19 assists. Previously, he was the team's Rookie of the Year recipient as a freshman in 2010-11 when he scored 11 points in 35 outings his initial season.

For his career to date, Czarnowczan has registered 56 points on seven goals and 49 assists in 131 outings.

This weekend, the nationally fourth-ranked Bulldogs will play their final regular-season road series as they travel to Fairbanks, Alaska, to face the Alaska Nanooks on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 28-March 1. Both games are scheduled for 11:07 p.m. (ET) starts. Ferris State currently leads second-place Minneosta State by four points atop the WCHA standings with four games remaining in the regular-season.

Following this week's trip to Alaska, FSU will then return home to host Lake Superior State in its final two regular-season outings on March 7-8 during "Senior Weekend" in Big Rapids with a special "Buy One, Get One Free" promotional offer available while supplies last.

Additionally, FSU has already clinched home ice for the opening round of the WCHA Playoffs. Ferris State will host an opponent to be determined in a best-of-three series set for March 14-16 with the winner advancing to the WCHA Final Five Championship on March 21-22 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.

Tickets for both the final regular-season series along with the first round of the WCHA Playoffs are currently on sale now and can be purchased thru the FSU Athletics Ticket Office, online at StarTickets.com or by calling 1-800-585-3737. For additional information, please visit FerrisStateBulldogs.com or call 231-591-2888.